Sympathy for the Devil
by ChibiJaime
Summary: Renkotsu and Ginkotsu are in a desperate situation. A fall from a ledge has left Renkotsu very seriously injured and Ginkotsu with almost no weapon choices. With foot soldiers trailing them looking for their lives, things could turn very bad very fast...


{/Author's Notes: This story was oddly inspired, and is very difficult for me. It will be a test of how well I can slip into a character, and how well I can write a serious story in which a character most people can't even drag themselves into liking... is made likeable, and pitiable.  
  
Renkotsu is a type of character that is difficult to deal with anyway, as what you get to see of him in the anime is after his resurrection. This leads a lot of viewers to believe that he's always been like that: conniving, plotting, hateful, rash, and underhanded. It leads me to wonder what he was like before, though. Maybe he has always had that stick up his ass, but as we see when he interacts on rare points with Ginkotsu, he does have a heart somewhere under all the rock.  
  
So, here in this pre-beheading story, we see an ENTIRE piece of Renkotsu interacting with Ginkotsu on a less professional and more personal level. Since the meat of the story is them interacting, I suggest reading foreward at your own risk. True, I still hate Renkotsu with the fire of ten-thousand suns, but the guy needs to have some nice. Otherwise, it wouldn't be any fun./}  
  
~=~Sympathy for the Devil~=~  
  
The glare of the midday sun was not improving Renkotsu's mood, nor his chances of hitting his currently quite mobile target. The mercenary held the string upon his gourd tightly, hissing through his teeth as he tried to focus on a soldier or two to incinerate in a quick burst of flame. He and Ginkotsu had been forced away from the rest of the Shichinin-tai, and had found their situation quite precarious, weedling away at the forces from a dropoff over a deep ravine.  
  
"Ginkotsu, fire at their commander," Renkotsu finally ordered, lifting a hand to wipe sweat from his brow. "Take care... we have to get rid of him in the first strike!"  
  
Ginkotsu gave a nod of acknowledgement, and from the shoulder cannons exploded a barrage of fire. He couldn't have foreseen it. There was no way for him to have. A cannon's misfire, the explosion so close by, and the sudden fear that ripped through his chest as he felt the ground leave from beneath his feet as he began to plummet towards the ravine's bottom.  
  
*****  
  
Consciousness returned slowly to the commander after what he thought was hours. His vision was somewhat foggy, and a sharp pain spiralled behind his eyes. His leg hurt just as badly, but he could tell he was laying in a resting position on his back. He could not have landed like that... so who...?  
  
"Gesh... good, you are awake. I was beginning to get worried, commander." Renkotsu knew that voice. He finally managed to focus his attention in the direction of it, finding himself looking at the hulking form of Ginkotsu. The metallic man looked rather banged up, and his shoulder-cannons and the blades that normally rested on his back were missing entirely. "It has been quite a while. The sun is setting. How do you feel?"  
  
A few moments passed as Renkotsu processed this question, trying to formulate a coherent response. His head was spinning, and he felt nauseous when he tried to move. "I... I must've hit my head... I feel dizzy..."  
  
The words brought a sound of concern from Ginkotsu. "Do you remember what happened, commander...?"  
  
"Vaguely," Renkotsu responded quietly, that sick feeling rising in his stomach again. He forced himself to sit up, despite the vertigo that threatened to send him tumbling to the forest floor again. "Small things... it's... it's a bit foggy."  
  
"I tried to splint your leg. You broke it in the fall, I think. That is the best I can do until we can get back to the top of the ravine and have Suikotsu examine it." Ginkotsu got to his feet after he spoke, stepping over to Renkotsu. "I will carry you."  
  
Renkotsu lifted his hand to stop his comrade's approach, although this made him weave dangerously where he sat. "No... no, I can walk... just... just help me up..."  
  
Tilting his head slightly, Ginkotsu shook his head, and his voice held all of the frown his face could not show. "On a broken leg? I do not think you would get very far, commander, if you do not mind my saying so."  
  
For a moment, Renkotsu didn't respond, trying to let the wave of nausea pass with his dizziness, but it did not fade. He lowered his hand to the ground to steady himself, then groaned, turning himself sharply to the side as his stomach wretched against his will.  
  
He never remembered feeling this helpless. When he was quite through, he drew in a few shaky breaths. That sick feeling remained, and his vision was still blurry, head aching even more, it seemed, than his broken leg. He was vaguely aware of being lifted and carefully placed on Ginkotsu's back where the cannons and blades would have once made it impossible, arms slung over his friend's shoulders. "...This... this is rather... rather humiliating... isn't it?"  
  
"Only if I was doing this and you were not badly injured, commander," Ginkotsu reasoned, beginning his walk foreward. "But I think the others will understand. It is not wise to walk when you are injured."  
  
Renkotsu nodded vaguely in response.  
  
*****  
  
"I think they went over around here!" Jakotsu rested his hands on his knees as he peered over the ledge, frowning at the mist and trees blocking his view of the ravine below. "I can't see anything, though..."  
  
Bankotsu cursed under his breath, staring at the scene before him. There were some dead soldiers laying about, charred and blown to pieces, sliced up with blade and wire. The ground near the drop-off was also badly charred... the point where Suikotsu and Jakotsu had seen Ginkotsu and Renkotsu fall. His concern for his comrades ached in the back of his mind, and something deep in his chest told him to fear the worst. "Then we find a way down there and we look for them. Renkotsu and Ginkotsu won't die that easily."  
  
The determination in his voice made Suikotsu turn to glance at him. "Oo-aniki... what if...?"  
  
"I won't have any 'what-if's!" The young leader clenched his fist, one hand balancing Banryuu over his shoulder. "I refuse to believe that they're dead until I've seen it with my own eyes. Understood?"  
  
Dumbfounded, the remaining members of the Shichinin-tai nodded to their leader. Having settled the brief argument, Bankotsu started back towards where they had been, intend on beginning a search for a path down into the ravine.  
  
*****  
  
As time wore on, Renkotsu lost more and more of his grip on reality, and Ginkotsu continued to grow more and more concerned. The second-in-command was drifting in and out of consciousness, mumbling incoherently, and every once in a while, he had to stop before the other got sick again.  
  
"G--Ginkotsu..." The mechanized mercenary lifted his head slightly. "Put me down... my weight is only... slowing you down..." The mercenary's head lulled to one side as he attempted to lift it, his body not cooperating past his injury. "I can... get back on my own..."  
  
For a change, Ginkotsu did not listen to Renkotsu's somewhat dazed order, trudging foreward with great care for the man on his back. "You will die here alone, commander. I cannot leave you without feeling I did wrong."  
  
Renkotsu gave a mumbled reply, his gaze drifting over the path ahead. In the back of his mind, he realized the blurriness of his vision lingering, pain and pressure stinging still behind his eyes. The broken leg was a vague pang, and truly, he could hardly remember how this had happened to begin with. He was conscious enough to notice a movement to the left, however, and he fought to get his mouth to work properly. "Left... to the... to the left..."  
  
Ginkotsu turned to look, and once more, his jaw replacement prevented a frown. "Foot soldiers... we are under attack..."  
  
*****  
  
The search in the ravine was turning up less than their search above, until Kyoukotsu noticed the cannons and blades scraped off on the ravine wall. "Oo-aniki, look there. Ginkotsu's weapons."  
  
"Or a few of them anyway," Bankotsu admonished, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He glanced around for a moment, then pointed to one side. "And there. Footprints. Only one set, though, too large to be Renkotsu's... but Renkotsu's body isn't here, so we can only assume he's injured and Ginkotsu is carrying him."  
  
Mukotsu, in the meanwhile, was observing from a distance something else he had discovered. He raised a brow after Bankotsu's comment, then spoke rather bluntly. "I should say he is. If my knowledge of medicine and injuries is any indication, the fool probably hit his head pretty sharply on the way down."  
  
Blinking, Bankotsu turned to him, tilting his head. "What makes you say that?"  
  
The short man huffed, glancing up at his leader. "Isn't it obvious, oo-aniki? This is, rather bluntly, vomit. Nausea tends to be a symptom of a severe head injury."  
  
Suikotsu nodded his agreement to that, towering over the two. "At least he's still alive, in any case. Both of them. Should we move on, oo-aniki?"  
  
"Yes," Bankotsu replied. "We follow the footprints. At the end, we'll find Ginkotsu and Renkotsu."  
  
*****  
  
"How quaint," came the taunt of one of the foot shoulders before the two, "to find two of the Shichinin-tai, separated from their group and injured, no less. This should be easy pickings."  
  
Ginkotsu glanced over the number before them... his skill in counting wasn't high, and he could not determine how many there actually were, but he knew well enough that there were very few. Not nearly enough to normally pose a threat, and he was hardly unarmed, but Renkotsu was too delirious to do much of anything. His injuries were severe enough that Ginkotsu knew he couldn't risk moving him too much. Keeping hold of the injured man's arms with his remaining hand, Ginkotsu prepared to attack. "I will not let you hurt Renkotsu!"  
  
"Cute... but just that determination won't save you! Soldiers, attack!"  
  
Ginkotsu stood steady as the men approached, and after he had given enough time, he sent the chain arm spinning foreward, the spear point skewering at least three soldiers. He snapped them off sharply, turning to glare at the few that remained. They stared at him in a mix of terror and wonder, not knowing how this... thing had managed to defeat so many so easily.  
  
One soldier stepped foreward nervously, pointing a naginata towards the metal monster. "Aim for the man on his back! That's who he's protecting!"  
  
Ginkotsu let out an angry rumble of a growl, taking one step foreward. "I said before, I will say it again. I will not let you harm Renkotsu. Do not even try to touch him!"  
  
*****  
  
Jakotsu stopped in his track of jogging to listen closely to a sound on the wind. Sharp clanking, and the vague sound of Ginkotsu's metallic voice. "Aniki! Aniki, I think I've found them!"  
  
"Good!" Bankotsu set into a run, seeing before him a sight he both wanted and did not want to see. Ginkotsu was backed as close to the wall of the ravine as he could without harming the unconscious figure of Renkotsu on his back, chain arm out of use. He was out of options, and the foot soldiers were closing in. "GINKOTSU!"  
  
The young leader lifted the mighty Banryuu from his shoulder immediately, swinging the blade in a heavy downward arc as he leaped foreward that sliced a foot soldier cleanly in half vertically. Two more were taken down efficiently by Suikotsu's claws as Jakotsu's jakotsutou cut into another three. The survivors were either suffocated by Mukotsu's poisons as they fled into the forest, or devoured by Kyoukotsu. Quickly, Bankotsu approached his comrades. Ginkotsu looked to him thankfully. "Gesh... I am glad to see you, oo-aniki. Renkotsu is badly hurt."  
  
Renkotsu's eyes drifted open at the sound of familiar conversation. His glazed expression turned towards Bankotsu, eyeing him for a moment before he registered who it was. "Oo-aniki... I... I was... neglet--... negline--... I didn't..."  
  
Bankotsu looked towards Renkotsu at the sound of the hazy voice. He had never seen his comrade looking so pitiful, and he felt a pang of concern in his chest. "Renkotsu, don't you even start blaming yourself. No one could've forseen what was going to happen."  
  
Renkotsu didn't respond for a moment, just watching his leader. "I... I tried... to get them..."  
  
He spoke no more after that, falling into unconsciousness again... and this time, he didn't seem to be waking up.  
  
*****  
  
When recognizable consciousness began to return to Renkotsu again, he was instantly aware of a few things... he was no longer slung over Ginkotsu's back, and his bandana had been replaced by a bandage. His leg was aching, but properly splinted, and the pain had ebbed. When he opened his eyes, his vision was clearer, and he realized he was indoors. He turned his head slightly to one side, trying to ignore the pain, to find Mukotsu, Suikotsu, and Bankotsu seated there. "...Oo-aniki... Mukotsu, Suikotsu... did we...?"  
  
"They're all dead," Bankotsu stated simply.  
  
Mukotsu looked somewhat relieved to see his companion awake, and he let out a slight sigh, folding his arms. "You've been drifting in and out of consciousness for two weeks. Ginkotsu's been a nervous wreck. You're quite the lucky fool, Renkotsu. You really nailed your head in that fall... it's a wonder you didn't somehow break your neck."  
  
Renkotsu nodded slightly, and instantly regretted it, pain shooting through his head. "Nngh... damn... I was careless..."  
  
There was a brief pause before Suikotsu reached foreward to push away the thin cloth covering Renkotsu's injured leg. "I'll get something for your pain. Your leg is mending nicely, though. Ginkotsu did a decent job of splinting it, for someone who only has full use of one hand."  
  
"I owe him for this," Renkotsu stated simply, relaxing into just staring at the ceiling for now. "I would be dead now if it wasn't for him."  
  
To this, Bankotsu laughed a little, shaking his head. "Actually, Ginkotsu keeps telling us he was just returning the favor to you. I think he's happiest just knowing you're alive."  
  
Laughing just barely loud enough to be heard, Renkotsu closed his eyes. "I suppose. That's like him, after all... he doesn't change much." He sighed quietly, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him rather suddenly. "Things will remain as they are... as they always have been... it's better this way, I think."  
  
Mukotsu waved slightly to the other two, getting to his feet. "We'll strain him if we stay and keep him up. Come on, you two, let the boy rest."  
  
The three trailed out of the room in silence, leaving Renkotsu to himself. Not that it mattered either way. Still tired and worn from the incident, he had already fallen asleep.  
  
*****  
  
A few weeks after Renkotsu began his slow road to recovery, Ginkotsu peered into Renkotsu's room to find the other sitting up with several sheets of paper scattered around him, brush held poised centimeters over the paper before he started to write down equations and plans, adding in lightly penned sketches to the sides of what he intended to do to replace the weapons Ginkotsu had lost in the fall. He was still unable to walk, his broken leg not fully mended, although he was finally able to stay awake for long periods and put thought into work again. He didn't notice the presence of his friend, and didn't even look up when he did. "Oh, Ginkotsu. I thought you may come. You're later than usual today."  
  
"I did not want to risk waking you if you were sleeping, commander," Ginkotsu explained simply, ducking his way in to sit down in front of his long-time companion. "What are you working on?"  
  
Renkotsu shrugged dismissively, skimming his eyes over the paper. "Modifications. You lost a lot of weapons in the fall, and your chain arm was damaged defending the both of us. It's the least I can do to fix and replace what was damaged and lost."  
  
"I did what I had to do. They would have killed you."  
  
"And you as well," Renkotsu pointed out, resting the papers on his lap as he looked up. "Don't worry yourself with it. We're both alive, that's what truly matters here, correct? So, we put this business behind us, and move foreward. Once I'm on my feet again, I'll get started on this."  
  
"Yesh. You are right, commander." Ginkotsu nodded a couple of times as he climbed to his feet. "You are a good friend."  
  
The word itself caught Renkotsu off-guard, and he watched Ginkotsu quietly for a moment before he let down his defenses long enough to cast a smile in return. "This is between you and I, but so are you. You could have let me die, Ginkotsu, and I thank you for deciding otherwise."  
  
Ginkotsu shook his head as he lumbered his way towards the door. "I would do it again, commander. I cannot begin to thank you for saving my life. So, I am a friend, and I do what I can to help you. That is how I repay you. Even though I can never fully return the favor."  
  
As the melding of man and machine made his way back out, Renkotsu sat for a moment in silent contemplation. To the other members of the Shichinin-tai, he kept a stone face. He owed a lot to Ginkotsu, just as the other felt he did him. He allowed himself another smile as he returned to his work. No use losing face over it. Nothing would change.  
  
After all... he had a reputation to uphold.  
  
~=~The End~=~ 


End file.
